PTARMIGAN

Promoting the appreciation, conservation, and restoration of ecosystems, focusing on birds

and other wildlife through education, participation, stewardship, and advocacy.

FORT COLLINS AUDUBON SOCIETY P.O. Box 271968·Fort Collins,CO·80527-1968·www.fortcollinsaudubon.org

May 2020 Volume 51, Issue 5

FCAS Presents:

Bryan Guarente, Meteorologist/Instructional Designer, The COMET Program–Boulder

“Where the Weather Takes Us”

Thursday, May 14—Announcements: 7:00 p.m.; Program 7:20 p.m.

***This will be an online meeting using Zoom*** Enter the following link on your web browser at or before 7 p.m. and follow the instructions to join the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/207880802

Also see the President’s Corner article on Page 2 for more information

Each spring and fall a cascade

of hormones triggered by chang-

ing day length lures migrant

birds like a Siren’s song toward

the poles or equator. This peri-

od, called zugunruhe (migratory

restlessness), is the basis of bird

migrations. Is it a misfortune

that this migratory drive coin-

cides with some of the most vio-

lent weather systems, or is it

perhaps instead a gift when

seen through the eyes of an effi-

ciency-seeking, meteorologist-

bird? In fact, the frenzied flow

of high and low-pressure weath-

er systems, typical of spring and

fall, and found in the mid-

latitudes (30° to 60°) gives rise to the winds that fuel

migration. Understanding weather and how big-picture

weather systems affect bird move-

ments can be useful tools for birders

seeking rarities, fall-outs, and other

exciting migratory phenomena.

Bryan Guarente started birding at

the age of 7 in Pennsylvania with his

dad before rabidly making bird lists at

the University of Northern Colorado

(B.S. in Meteorology) when Lower Lat-

ham Reservoir and Crow Valley

Campground were easy to access.

Weather and bird migration came to-

gether while listening to night flights

at the University of Illinois while get-

ting his Master’s degree in Atmos-

pheric Science. He now makes online

learning for a broad spectrum of indi-

viduals covering topics in the Earth

Sciences at The Cooperative Program for Meteorologist

Education and Training (COMET) in Boulder.

Bryan Guarente.

Just a reminder that the Ptarmigan

is not published during the summer

months. We wish everyone a safe

and enjoyable summer.

See you in September!

PTARMIGAN www.fortcollinsaudubon.org Page 2

FCAS CONTACTS

President

John Shenot

802-595-1669 johnshenot@gmail.com

Vice President

Liz Pruessner

970-484-4371

fortcollinsaudubonmembership@gmail.com

Program Chair

Jessie Meschievitz

jlmesch852@gmail.com

970-686-1424

Field Trip Coordinator

Sirena Brownlee

sirena.brownlee@hdrinc.com

970-669-8095

Membership Chair

Harry Rose

970-430-6731

hlrose@toadaway.net

Newsletter Editor

Carol Jones 970-481-5213

cjones@cowisp.net

For other FCAS contacts visit

www.fortcollinsaudubon.org

Visit us on Facebook:

President’s Corner by John Shenot

Because of our publication schedule, all the articles

in the Ptarmigan are written weeks before you read

them. As I write this, Colorado is facing a mandatory

stay-at-home order until at least April 26. Even if the

order is not extended, I expect public health officials

will continue to recommend social distancing well into

May, and probably beyond. In the face of this uncer-

tainty and the underlying public health emergency,

the FCAS Board decided to take the unusual step of

converting our normal May chapter meeting into an

online meeting using a tool called Zoom. Our guest

speaker, Bryan Guarente, agreed to offer his presenta-

tion online instead of in person.

If you’ve never used Zoom before, I hope you won’t be

intimidated. It’s free, and basically all you have to do

is enter the website address on Page 1 of this newslet-

ter into your web browser at or slightly before the ap-

pointed time. From there, you’ll have the option of ei-

ther downloading a Zoom application to your computer

(if you haven’t already done so), or simply joining the

meeting from your web browser. You’ll be able to see

your host (me) and watch Bryan’s presentation on your

screen and use your computer audio or a phone to lis-

ten. I will offer further instructions to attendees at the

start of the meeting.

Please understand that the only realistic alternative

to scheduling an online meeting was to cancel the

meeting altogether.

The Board fully un-

derstands that

some of our mem-

bers don’t have the

right technology to

attend an online

meeting or may be

intimidated by the

format. We also re-

alize an online

meeting is not as

social a gathering

as our society would

like. And since we’ve never done an online meeting

before, it is quite possible that things will not go

smoothly. Nevertheless, the Board decided that it is

better to use an online format than to cancel the May

program. It may not work for everyone, and we’re sor-

ry about that, but it will hopefully work for most.

FCAS Pocket Guide to Local Birds

Is available at the following retailers who support our organization with the sales:

Wild Birds Unlimited Jax Mercantile 3636 S. College Ave 950 E. Eisenhower Ste. C Loveland (970) 225-2557 (970) 776-4540

Jax Outdoor Gear Jax Farm & Ranch 1200 N. College 1000 N. Hwy. 287 (970) 221-0544 (970) 481-2221

FCAS welcomes new National Audu-

bon Society members by sending one complimentary

copy of our newsletter. Join us

at our monthly programs on

the second Thursday of the

month to find out more about

FCAS. National dues do not

cover the cost of printing and

mailing the newsletter, so if

you’d like to keep receiving it, please support your

local chapter and subscribe. See details on the last

page of the newsletter or on our website at

www.fortcollinsaudubon.org.

PTARMIGAN www.fortcollinsaudubon.org Page 3

Conservation Corner by Bill Miller "Treat the earth well–it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not

inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." –Ancient Native American proverb (often

attributed to others).

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” –Robert Swan, environmentalist

and explorer.

2020–What a Year! And it Ain’t Over Yet

Usually I select a topic of significant environmental

concern, such as global climate change or egregious per-

formance by some federal agency (EPA?) or the Presi-

dent himself. This month my article will be different. I

recently ran across an article titled, “Our Wild Calling:

How Connecting With Animals Can Transform Our

Lives―And Save Theirs.” The article was a review of a

new book by Richard Louv. The article, by Kurt Re-

panshek, found at https://

www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2020/04/our-wild-

calling-how-connecting-animals-can-transform-our-lives

-and-save-theirs, pointed out that roughly 80 percent of

Americans live in urban areas, but that moose, grizzly

bears, or herds of bison or elk do

not. Human development of the

nation’s landscape has forced

wildlife into smaller, more remote

parts of the country that are often

fragmented by our roads, power

lines, and fences. And, as more

recently observed in the past two

or three decades, further frag-

mented by our outdoor recreation.

Hiking trails have been docu-

mented to have driven elk popula-

tions away from the vicinity of

Vail, Colorado. Furthermore, it’s

been shown that dogs–on leash–cause both critters and

birds to instinctively avoid certain areas as domestic

dogs are viewed by wildlife as predators.

In his article, Repanshek refers to Louv’s 2005 best-

seller, Last Child in the Woods, who painted the dis-

turbing picture of how we’re not just losing bits and

pieces of our natural landscape, but also failing our

children by not introducing them to nature.

This got me to thinking about how I ultimately be-

came interested in, not just birds, but wildlife in gen-

eral and the environmental issues that affect both wild-

life and humans. I grew up in northeast New Jersey

that was part of the greater New York City metropoli-

tan area and already greatly urbanized. Our town had

one municipal park, used primarily for ball games.

There was some wooded, undeveloped land down by the

railroad tracks where kids would go sledding in the

winter and come home in the summer muddy and late

for supper. Otherwise we didn’t have much in the way

of places to play in nature. During spring break of my

senior year of high

school, I went camping

on a long, but narrow,

man-made lake in

northwest New Jersey

with two classmates.

Early one morning,

while walking around in

a wooded area, I heard

rustling in the leaves

ahead of me, but still

out of sight. I was some-

what apprehensive be-

cause this part of New

Jersey still had black

bears. After several

minutes of looking for

the source of the sound, I

noticed the leaves on the

ground sporadically

jumping. Looking close, I saw about 50 or more birds

looking for breakfast under the leaves that the birds

kicked up to their rear. Although I couldn’t identify the

species, I watched for about 10 minutes.

After high school I came west to attend college. I

served four and a half years in the U.S. Army; while

still in the service, I developed an interest in wildlife,

then later settled in Fort Collins. I was interviewed by

Dr. Ron Ryder and accepted into the CSU Department

of Wildlife Biology. A recession at that time kept me

from finding part-time employment to supplement my

G.I. Bill education benefits, so I started to work full

time to support my wife and two young sons. Sometime

around 1987 I subscribed to the National Audubon

magazine because my third son was selling magazine

subscriptions as a class fundraiser. The next thing I

knew, I was receiving copies of the Ptarmigan and I

attended a program meeting that it advertised. My mis-

take was attending three meetings in a row, after which

the chapter vice-president convinced me to be a candi-

date for one of the Director-at-Large positions.

I never got back to college for that Wildlife Biology

degree, but I’ve racked up a few years as a volunteer for

FCAS and several other environmental organizations.

To this day I wonder what path I might have followed

after high school if I had some adult guidance and en-

couragement with regard to nature.

From https://

natureconservationlewi-

sham.co.uk.

PTARMIGAN www.fortcollinsaudubon.org Page 4

Education Corner by Blair Oliver

Birding by Bike Not long ago, for reasons too

tedious to detail in full, I resolved

to do my birding by bike. We

birders have a keen interest in

learning about the places we live

and ways to observe and move

mindfully through them. Wasn’t

it Hemingway who suggested the

best way to get to know a place,

its contours, was by riding a bicycle? Who was I to disa-

gree? I’d done my time in convoys chasing the Gyrfal-

con. I have been traffic.

On a bicycle, that hill you barely register on your

morning car commute becomes a daily struggle you can

meet, eventually with grace. There’s the spot along the

curb where the crabapple blossoms fall and the ear-full

of waxwings gathers. A little further, the meadowlark’s

song. You’re both passenger and engine on a bicycle,

which for most of us means the pace with which we

travel is just right to see and hear both the landscape

and ourselves, at least after we’ve caught our breath.

While I’m wary of the tendency for naming to become

taming, I love knowing the Killdeer return to my neigh-

borhood, and the phoebe alights on the post, within the

same week or two every year. Even if the birds have

their own reasons, one’s town becomes familiar, a

home. There’s joy in recognition, and even though you

know the blackbirds are

coming to the pond you can

pedal to, you’re pleasantly

surprised every time they

do. Nature doesn’t owe us

anything, but it always pays

us back if we go outside or

even just peek out the win-

dow. By sharpening our fo-

cus, it returns us to the

things of this world and

therefore to ourselves.

So does the heartbeat. I

used to roam far and wide

in search of adventure. I’d

drive miles to chase a ru-

mor, if not a Pink-footed

Goose. Along the way I’d

somehow become a man who’d

burn through a tank of gas

while keeping a fastidious little trashcan clipped to his

hip to clean up after those who didn’t suitably appreci-

ate nature. In addition to being a pendant, I’m a slow

learner. Still, the irony wasn’t lost on me.

Here are just a few of the birds I’ve watched on a loop

of my bike patch: American Kestrels, American White

Pelicans, Bald and Golden Eagles, Belted Kingfishers,

Black-billed Magpies, Black-capped Chickadees, Brew-

er’s Blackbirds, a Bullock’s Oriole–I could go on, but

who’s counting? While a bicycle moves more civilly than

a car, it’s faster than walking, so there also have been

plenty of birds I’ve failed to name along the tarmac and

gravel, but that’s okay too. I could climb off and further

explore a hotspot by foot. I could snap a picture. Most of

the time I don’t. While you’re not in a rush on a bicycle,

you also don’t like to stop. Birding by bike teaches you

to let go of your need to name and number.

Belted Kingfisher

by Nick Komar.

Education Update The Poudre River Fest originally scheduled for Sat-

urday, May 30, has been rescheduled for Saturday,

August 29 from 12–6 p.m. at New Belgium Brewery.

We will be looking for volunteers for the Poudre River

Fest and other rescheduled outreach and education

events in the community. Please stay tuned for up-

dates on summer and fall events on the FCAS

webpage (www.fortcollinsaudubon.org), Facebook

page (https://www.facebook.com/

FortCollinsAudubonSociety/) and email. Stay safe and

see you soon.

FCAS Welcomes New and Renewing Members Judith Ann Balice Kimberly E. Manajek

Rick Barry Jesse Meschievitz

Richard Bourdon Nancy J. Odom

Barbara Denny Evi Buckner-Opler

Randy & Kathy Fischer Paul Opler

Neil Holstein Barbara Patterson

Sue Kenney Jim & Judy Rains

Nick Komar Theodore Ranieri

Your support makes our programs and conservation

efforts possible and helps us achieve our mission of con-

necting people to the natural world.

Black-capped

Chickadee by

Gail DuBois.

PTARMIGAN www.fortcollinsaudubon.org Page 5

Birding Colombia – A Snapshot Text and Photos by Doug Swartz

“¿Listo?” (Ready?)

“Si.” (Yes.)

“Vamonos.” (Let’s go.)

Luis fired up his motorcycle, I hopped on the back.

We headed out in the pitch black at 5:30 am. It was five

miles up a rough dirt road to Las Tangaras (“The Tan-

agers”) Reserve, which Luis manages. We moved slowly

and kept our eyes out for

birds on and along the

road, flushing a couple of

nightjars and a Sickle-

winged Guan along the

way.

By the time we reached

the high point on the

road and began walking,

first light had arrived.

The sky was clear, with

higher peaks of the West-

ern Andes enveloped in

clouds. The dawn chorus

was underway: Andean

Solitaire, Toucan Barbet,

Plumbeous Pigeons, Russet-backed Oropendula, Ande-

an Motmot were all making themselves known. The

first birds we could see well enough to identify were

four species of tanagers. A White-headed Wren made

an appearance. Then a breathtaking view of a male

Crested Quetzal, perched nearby for about five seconds.

Wow–our day was off to a great start!

Luis and I spent the entire day on the Bangsia Trail,

about 7 km out and back. We worked our way slowly,

looking and listening. Most of the trail traverses beau-

tiful primary forest, featuring large trees draped with

vines, moss, lichens, and bromeliads, and punctuated

by occasional openings for longer views and a handful

of stream crossings. It is terminated by a large land-

slide, several years old. Fog moved in and out through-

out the day. We enjoyed the ambience and found many

cool birds. We wrapped up in wet mist and fading light

with great views of Masked Trogon and Common Potoo.

Back on the moto, heading downhill, just before 6 p.m.

Luis knows

his birds and

their habi-

tats, has a

fine-tuned

ear and is

expert at

picking out

birds in

dense forest

with low

light. We

communicat-

ed well with

my interme-

diate Spanish and his willingness to speak more slowly.

Fortunately, like most Colombian bird guides, he’s tri-

lingual when it comes to species names: Latin, Spanish,

and English!

This was one day of an almost month-long trip that

began in early February. I traveled solo, arrived with

ideas of places I might want to spend time, and had my

first night’s hostel reserved. I figured the rest out as I

went, traveling by public transportation. I explored and

birded on my own, hiring local guides where available.

I spent a few days in each of five locations, covering a

nice range of habitats, but only scratching the surface

of this huge, diverse country. Clearly another trip is in

order!

Field Trips Cancelled for Now Like so many other social activities during these uncertain times,

FCAS will not be hosting any spring or summer field trips. As the field

trip coordinator, this is my favorite time of year to plan and lead trips.

I take delight in seeing the same friendly familiar faces from the bird-

ing community on many of my field trips. I have been leading field

trips for over 20 years and one of my great joys is sharing my love of

birds with other people. This year will be hard, but I have no doubt I

will see many of you on the trails this summer, and we can still smile,

wave, and share our bird sightings. We are fortunate to have wonder-

ful natural areas that are accessible for birding, and I hope you contin-

ue to get out and take comfort in birding this spring and summer.

It is a possible we be able to host some late summer trips and I am

hopeful by fall we will be able to get back to our normal field trip offer-

ings. Keep an eye on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/

FortCollinsAudubonSociety/) for updates over the summer. For now,

stay safe and healthy and may you find peace in nature.

Moustached Puffbird.

Orange-breasted Fruiteater.

Masked Trogon.

Membership Application Join Fort Collins Audubon Society (FCAS), National Audubon Society (NAS), or both.

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Please make your tax-exempt check payable to FCAS and mail with this form to FCAS, P.O. Box 271968, Fort Collins, CO, 80527-1968. Your cancelled check is your receipt. All renewals are due in January. New

memberships begun after August 31 extend throughout the following year. Applications can be completed at

www.fortcollinsaudubon.org.

Fort Collins Audubon Society

PO Box 271968

Fort Collins, CO 80527-1968

Printed on recycled paper